How Agricultural Economics Saved Futures Markets: An Untold Story of Leadership

Iowa State alum Scott Irwin is recognized as a national and international leader in agricultural economics. In recent years, he has made important contributions to the ongoing international debate on the role of speculators in commodity futures markets and is often quoted as an authority on agricultural markets in the financial press. His research and extension programs include AgMAS, a nationally recognized project that evaluates agricultural market advisory services, and farmdoc, an award-winning extension program that provides comprehensive risk management information and analysis for farmers and agribusinesses. Irwin grew up on a family farm in west central Iowa and earned his B.S. in agricultural business at Iowa State. He earned both an M.S. and Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Purdue University and is currently the Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Illinois. The William K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture.